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-J. S. DUNLAP. COFFEE FERCOLATOR. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 20. 1919.

1 306,4; 1 5 Patented June 10, 1919.

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COFFEEPERC OLATOE.

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' Specification of'Letters Patent. Patented June 10, 1919.

Application filed January 20, 1919. Serial No. avatar. 1

To allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that l, JOHN S. DUNLAP, a

citizen of the United States, residing attype, as the liquid passes through the ground mass, as of coffee, for which I have more especially designed my improvement,

.it sometimes carries with it small particles thereof, which clog the perforations in the percolator and thus reduce the number or size of openings for the passage of the fluid, with the efiect of less amount of the coffee from being brought into contact with the infusion-liquid and that of causing waste. When, on the other hand, these openings are of suihcient size to avoid clogging, particles of the codec wash through them,- thereby diminishing the resistance to the passage of the fluid through the ground percolator-mass at the points where it is reduced by the particles thus eliminated from it, so that the liquid will escape contact withother portions of the mass and waste will ensue. Moreover, the presence of whee-particles in the infusion is objectionable.

The primary object of my invention to provide aconstruction of percolator wherelar infusion-making apparatus or utensil in by the objections thus stated, and other objections, shall be overcome, by compelling the liquid to contact withthe coflee throughout the entire mass thereof in thepercolator.

While my improved percolator is not in tended to be limited for use to any particutheclass referred to, having more immediately devised it for improving the operation of the cofiee-pot ofniy United States Let ters Patent No. 871,492, dated November 19, 1907, it is illustrated inthat connection in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a broken view in vertical section and partly in elevation of a cofiiee-pot containing-my improved percolator; Fig. 2 is a broken perspective view of one of the ercolator-disks; Fig; 3 is an enlarged broken sectional 'viewshowing the pair of-percolator-disks in their opposing opera- 7 reventing a greatermor tive relation, and Fig. 4 is a view like that presented by Fig. 2, but illustrating a modification.

The cofiee-pot 5, which may he of any dosiredform including that illustrated, has a tight-fitting cover; and the spout 6, in using the coffee-pot for pe'rcol'atmg, should be plugged with a suitable removable stopper, indicated at 6, in its outer end to confine the pressure generated in the pot for forcing the liquid employed upwardly through the percolator hereinafter described. In the pot, about midway between its top and bot- .tom, is provided the inwardlyextending seating ring 7.

The improved percol'ator, as shown, is in the form ota cup 8 having an outwardlyextending flange 9 about its edge for seating the cup on the ring 7, in which position it is releasably confined by a bar 10 havin? end-notches ll to embrace diametrically-op bottom of the ot u wardiv throughv P a .l.

which the water used, and which partially fillsthechamber it, is forced by the pr" sure generated in the latter when it becomes suiiiciently high by heating the contents.

\My invention lies principally in the con struction of the foraminous dish, plate, or diaphragm member of my improved per.- colator. The lower member 17 seats in the bottom of the cup and is fastened to and surrounds the lower end of an upright tube 19, in which is secured a perforated button 20seatinga valve-forming Weight 21, shown of fr'usto-conical form, and whichshould be composed, like the disks, of non-corroding metal, .such as German silver. The upper end of the tube 19 is closed by a vented plug or stopper 22. The upper member 18 at the lower end of a tube 23 to surround the tube 19 when-the parts of the pereolator are assembled into cooperative relation; and this tube, the upper end of which is closed bya stopper 24: and which is provided with perforations 25 about its lower end just above the disk 18, is externally threaded to screw into a threaded central opening in the mass of coffee between them.

With the percolator in place in the pot and supplied with ground coffee, and with ,water 1n the chamber 14 and heat being apleast resistance, passes through the1r perfo-- rations where the coffee-mass is lightest.

clamping-bar 10. a

The improvement in the foraminous percolator-members lies in so designing them as to cause them to uniformly distribute the liquid throughout the mass of ground coffee confined between them in the cup, and avoid the objections hereinbefore referred to. .To that end each plate, formed preferably of suitable stamped sheet-metal, has

substantially its entire surface composed of hollow taperin projections 26, of the pre ferred conical orm illustrated in Fig. 2, or pyramidal, as illustrated in Fig. 4, or of any other suitable shape, and provided with liquid-passages 27, preferably in the apexes,

and toward which they taper. These plates" are so placed relatively to each other in the almedly face each other in c ontact-with the plied, with the spout 6 stoppered, as aforesaid, the resultantly generated pressure in that chamber forces the liquid upwardly through the percolator into the chamber 15 In passing through the lower member, the. pro ections form guides directed to the flow The liquid having streamed through the fusion of the desired strength, with the res f sultant advantage of economy. '65

the streams wi and be deflected from the openings therein, it being practically impossible to force the numerous openings in the lower member, traverses the mass of coffee and seeks to escape through the openings in the upper member. A Any particles of coffee carried by l strike; against the apexes particles, however fine they may be, through the small openings, so that they remain unobstructive to the liquid-flow. Any particles of the co'fi'ee entering an opening will be immediately carried through it OWIDg'lZO its diameter gradually increasing from the entrance end, so that no cloggingloccurs.

The use of m improved percola'tor-disks permits the co ee to be groundmuch finer than is usual, without danger of washing through, so that a materially smaller quantity of the coffee will serve to obtain an in- As will be un erst; ed, in heating water in that .the apexes of the projections thechai'nber 14, resultant heating of the air;

confined therein expands it increasingly with the increase of temperature and causes itto act in connection with the generated steam upon the liquid to force' it upwardly through the percolator, and thus prevent excessive heating or boiling of the infusion. As the heat of the infusion becomes reduced by shutting off the'heat 'or removing the coffee-pot from the heater, thepressure in the chamber 14 subsides, permitting the infusion to pass from theupper chamber 15 byway of the tube-openings 25' through the disksand int'erposedcoflee and through the tube 16 into the lower chamber 13$,- from which it may be dispensed through the spout, after removing the stopper from the latter. In fact, the reduced pressure in the lower chamber creates sufficient of 'a vacuum therein to induce rapidity in the returnflow ofthe infusion.

Should the resistance offered by the massof cofi'ee'to thepassage of water cause undue increase of pressurein the chamber and tend to so increase the temperature as to be injurious to the infusion", the'gravity-valve 21 will open under such pressure and a portion of the liquid will rise through tube 19 and enter the upper.chamber by way of the openin? 25 and cup 8 .torelieve-the, pressure. h

automatically regulating the temperature and pressure in the lower pot-chamber; to

prevent overheating and impairment of the .100 I .realize that considerable variation is infusion.

possiblein thev details of construction herein shown and described, and I do not intend by illustrating -the present specific or preferred embodiments of my invention to be-limited thereto, it being my intention inthe followingclaims to claim protection for all the novelty there may bein my invention as fully as the state of the art will permit.

I claim cu in spaced relation to each other and provi ed with conical projections on their opposing faces, said projections having inwardly tapered openings in their apexes.

2. A pereolator com rising a cup, and a pair of percolator-menr ers supported in the cup in spaced relation to each other, one of sa d members-being provided with conical e valve 21 thus affords means for j I 1. A percolator comprising a cup, and a pair of percolator-members supported in the projections on its face, said projections hav ing inwardly tapering openings in their apexes.

3. A "percolator comprising a cup having a spout dependin from its bottom, and a on in spaced relation to each other and provied with conical'.pro ections ontheir opposing faces, said pro ections having inwardly tapered openingsjin the a exes,

pair of percolator-members supported in the 4: A pereolator comprising a'eup having and having a valved opening in its lower a spout depending from its-bottdm, a pair end and a vented upper end, and a tube risof percolator-members in spaced relation in ingxfrom the upper member about the said 10 the cup, provided on their opposing feces 'valve'd tube, provided with openings adja- 5 with conical projections having in'wardlycent said last-named member and having a tapered openings in their apexes, a tube exclosed'upper end. tending upwardly from the lower member JOHN S.LDUNLAR 

